Hope on the Horizon

The decision today from RWE and E.ON not to proceed with further development is one to be welcomed by the people of North Wales. Nuclear energy is incredibly expensive and requires massive state subsidies as well as being potentially disastrous for the environment and our communities.

There are many in Northwest Wales who had high hopes that this would create a huge amount of jobs in that area. However now that the expectation of a new nuclear power station in Ynys Mon has gone a new jobs strategy is need for Mam Cymru. Luckily Wales is still blessed with an abundance of natural resources that can be exploited in the green energy revolution. Green enrgy has the potential to create three times as many jobs as obsolete methods of energy production such as nuclear power, as evidenced in an article on thinkprogress.org.

'2. Clean energy creates three times more jobs than fossil fuels

• A national study showed that job creation in clean energy outdoes fossil fuels by a margin of 3-to-1 — every dollar put into clean energy creates three times as many jobs as putting that same dollar into oil and gas.
• Wind energy has already created 75,000 jobs, which could grow to as many as 500,000 if we transitioned to getting 20 percent of our energy from wind.
• Job quality is better. Twice as many medium- and high-credentialed jobs are being created in the clean economy as in fossil fuels.
• Median wages are 13 percent higher in green energy careers than the economy average. Median salaries for green jobs are $46,343, or about $7,727 more than the median wages across the broader economy. As an added benefit, nearly half of these jobs employ workers with a less than a four-year college degree, which accounts for a full 70 percent of our workforce.
• The clean energy sector is growing at a rate of 8.3 percent, nearly double the growth rate of the overall economy. Solar thermal energy expanded by 18.4 percent annually from 2003 to 2010, along with solar photovoltaic power by 10.7 percent, and biofuels by 8.9 percent over the same period. Meanwhile, the U.S. wind energy industry saw 35 percent average annual growth over the past five years, according to the 2010 U.S. Wind Industry Annual Market Report.

In Europe 1.1 million people are employed in renewable energy. Reports from theBureau of Labor Statistics and the Brookings Institute show that this kind of employment has already started to take hold here and shows enormous promise and potential for the future'

http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2012/03/28/453122/fact-sheet-6-things-you-should-know-about-the-value-of-renewable-energy/?mobile=nc



With a some imagination and hard work Ynys Mon has the potential to be a world leader in energy production. Fortunatley during the recent Plaid Cymru leadership election Leanne Wood had the oppurtunity to outline her vision for a nuclear free Wales and a Wales that would be able to take advantage of its natural resources for the good of all the people of Wales.



http://en.leannewood.com/?page_id=398



It is interesting to note that those who attacked Leanne's proposals such as Paul Wiliams did so because they felt there would be an over reliance on public subsidies, yet he failed to note that the large energy companies are massively subsidised. Perhaps this is just another example of what Gore Vidal called 'socialism for the rich. The thinkprogress.org article also stated that the fossil fuel energy is far more subsided than green energy.



'6. Fossil fuels have gotten 75 times more subsidies than clean energy

• To date, the oil-and-gas industry received $446.96 billion (adjusted for inflation) in cumulative energy subsidies from 1994 to 2009, whereas renewable energy sources received just $5.93 billion (adjusted for inflation).
• Renewable energy investments should be put in proper historical perspective. According to the Energy Information Agency, “focusing on a single year’s data does not capture the imbedded effects of subsidies that may have occurred over many years across all energy fuels and technologies.”
• The U.S. government is showing a smaller commitment to renewables than it showed in the early years of the oil-and-gas industries. A study showed that “during the early years of what would become the U.S. oil and gas industries, federal subsidies for producers averaged half a percent of the federal budget. By contrast, the current support for renewables is barely a fifth that size, just one-tenth of 1 percent of federal spending.”

All developments must protect Rhuthun

Letter in The Denbigh Free Press 21/03/2012

Dear Sir,

Your article of the seventh of March 'Resident opinions plea on LDP' scheme highlights the decision of The Welsh Government's Planning Inspectorate to try amend the Local Development Plan (LDP) of Denbighshire County Council. After extensive public consultation the County Council published its LDP with the conclusion that 7,500 new houses would meet Denbighshire's housing needs.

However the inspectorate has intervened to say that the provision must be for 8,400. This is based on flawed and outdated population projections from 2008 and does not factor in local housing needs. We believe that using uniform population projections from several years ago is an inadequate way to measure local need and is an example of top down planning at its worst. Arbitrary decisions such as the inspectorate's have the potential to lead to the over development of our communities.

Our communities have been presented with a ridiculous situation where our bureaucrats are using outdated and paternalistic methods to force decisions upon our elected representatives that threatens the fabric of our communities. Sadly the high handed treatment by the Government's Planning Inspectorate of locally elected representatives is being repeated across the north of Wales. The accumulative effect will be a huge increase in the number of new housing units priced well beyond the means of local people to purchase.

Any development in Rhuthun in the future must have tangible benefits for the community and ensure that there is adequate provision for affordable housing in the town. Over development will adversely effect any community.

As Plaid Cymru candidates we believe that planning decisions must be driven by local needs in order to satisfy local demand and protect our communities. It is our belief that the council should undertake to support housing development based on local need that is affordable and accessible to the local community. If elected we will oppose any development that does not protect local communities.

Yours faithfully,

Shane Brennan

Hywel Richards

Peter Ryder

Plaid Cymru candidates for Rhuthun ward in the 2012 Denbighshire County Council

Grave Concerns for Access to Justice

The Government's plans for Legal Aid reform will see Legal Aid cut in the vast majority of family, welfare rights and housing matters. Legal Aid will no longer be available in relation to divorce or disputes over contact with children for non-resident parents. The Government has so far attempted to justify this action by asserting that the current Legal Aid system is by far the most expensive in Europe; in actual fact many European legal systems work on an inquisitorial rather than adversarial basis. That is, the judiciary conduct much of the fact finding, evidence gathering and interviewing of parties and witnesses, leaving the state funded advice to parties a much smaller role in the overall system. Whether or not this is an overall less acrimonious way of dealing with family cases is a matter for separate debate, but the fact is that the Court system of England and Wales is already overstretched and any such elemental change in our legal system would cost far more that could ever be saved by the cuts to Legal Aid. The Government is certainly not suggesting a proportional increase in the funding of the Courts and judiciary system to deal with the coming influx of litigants in person.

The cuts will mean that any absent parent would not have access to free legal advice and representation in an attempt to gain contact to their child. Whilst Mediation is being heralded as the salvation to all such problems, this is at best naïve and at worst misleading. Mediation is a wonderful concept, and does indeed help countless families reach agreement in a non adversarial manner about what is best for their children; whilst maintaining a good enough relationship to discuss future issues regarding their children together, as parents should. It is a much better way of resolving family matters that a lengthy, costly and harrowing court battle. However, by its very nature it requires the will from both sides to attend, to engage, and to agree. Without this, and without the pressure of knowing that the alternative is for a Judge to impose a solution on them both, any one of the parties can simply refuse to attend, and once the cuts are in place, there will be no other recourse, unless of course one has the funds to personally fund a Court application. A small point often omitted from the government’s case is that it is already obligatory to attempt Mediation before making an application to Court, and Legal Aid is simply not available unless Mediation has already failed, or is impossible due to extremely serious restrictions such as domestic violence resulting in police involvement and/or injunctive proceedings. The current system also works on a means and merit assessment. Not only must an applicant for Legal Aid qualify financially, but their case must also merit funding because all other negotiation, mediation and legal negotiation has already failed.

The government has also, in an attempt to curb criticism, promised that in cases where there has been domestic violence, the victim will be entitled to legal aid, so as not to have to face the aggressor in person. However, the aggressor, without the benefit of funding, will of course be entitled to cross examine the victim in Court in person, rather than his solicitor or barrister doing so. Also, evidence states that the vast majority of domestic violence incidents are either not reported to police, or are not pursued. Injunction proceedings are often brought, but it is much less harrowing for a victim to avoid a full hearing involving cross examination by accepting an undertaking from the perpetrator. This is a binding promise to the Court, that constitutes contempt of court if breached, a matter punishable by prison, fines, or both. Under the government's plans, this will not suffice. Only an injunction or a criminal conviction will evidence domestic violence.

The true cost to access to justice for anyone but the very rich remains to be seen; but without any recourse to legal advice it is difficult to see how women and children, estranged fathers, and divorcing spouses who have no personal funds due to having been at home caring for the children whilst the other spouse works, can ever hope to have their rights protected by law in England and Wales.  

Why not generate our own electricity?

Plaid Cymru Rhuthun believes that as the cost of fossil fuels increase and the destruction caused to the environment is compounded it is our duty to seek alternatives. This can be based upon not just environmental reasons but on sound financial and social reasoning as well. Plaid Cymru Rhuthun would wish to explore the opportunities for establish a community owned renewable energy generation scheme. The aims of such a scheme would be to generate as much of energy required for our town to be done so within our community. That any profits from such a scheme be reinvested within our community and that any energy savings be passed onto the members of such a scheme.

This is not a new idea, Llanuwchllyn was one of the first villages in Wales to get electricity when they built their own hydro electric dam in the early 1900s. We have also had announcements this week that a similar scheme is being attempted in Glyndfrdwy, The Centre for Alternative technology has also assisted in establishing a community energy scheme in Aberdyfi.

The benefits of a community energy group could potentially include reducing energy bills for members including local businesses. This would lead to increased local employment. In Rhuthun we have local people and firms who have a wealth of experience in the renewable energy sector. We are also an active community that can see such a scheme through. There is lots of help in place that we could avail of in order to get a community energy enterprise in place.

Whilst this is just a basic proposal at the moment, with the right attitude, hard work and the help of others who have done this before Plaid Cymru Rhuthun and the people of Rhuthun can make this happen.

Below are a list of useful links that will be of interest to anyone who wishes to see such a scheme succeed:

http://roughguide.to/communityenergy/

http://www.bristolenergy.coop/index.html

http://www.communityenergyscotland.org.uk/

http://www.planlocal.org.uk/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-east-wales-17224801

If this idea is of interest to you please do not hesitate to contact us at plaidrhuthun@gmail.com

The People Illuminate the Path

Just a few days ago the first anniversary of the referendum to give the Welsh Assembly full law making powers passed. On March 3 2011 the people of Denbighshire voted overwhelmingly to grant the National Assembly the right to make laws on behalf of the people of Wales. What is striking about this result is that in 2011 Denbighshire voted by 62% to 38% for the law making change. However in the referendum of 1997 Denbighshire voted against the establishment of the Assembly. As Ron Davies said at the time devolution is a process that is just beginning. The BBC poll on St David's Day clearly showed a huge appetite amongst the Welsh people to take further control of their own destiny.

Despite the growing clamour for a greater say in the running of our society the Labour party lags behind the people. Come election time they wrap themselves in the Welsh flag yet when it comes to fighting for the rights of the people they prefer bow down to the self interest of a handful of their own MPs.

As the British parties have come to learn to live with the current settlement Plaid Cymru has allowed itself to be robbed of its traditional political clothing, that of the defender of the Welsh peoples best interests.

The St David's day poll results should be very encouraging for our party in that they show strong demands for a furtherance of the devolution process but also a strong commitment to social justice in the attitudes of the people to the English NHS reforms. The majority of respondents clearly understood that it was Welsh self governance that is preventing the same reforms from being carried out in Wales for the moment at least.

Plaid Cymu must ensure that we articulate to the people that we are the party of social justice and that we will use the devolution process to defend and further the cause of social justice for all of the people of Wales.  

 Devolution is indeed a process that as it proceeds increases the self confidence of the Welsh people in their ability to run their own affairs. The inevitable conclusion of this growth in our national feeling is an independent nation where we commit to build a just society free from the mistakes of the past and be prepared for the struggle for better future.

St. David’s Day Launch for Plaid’s Rhuthun Team

The Rhuthun branch of Plaid Cymru launch their Denbighshire County Council election campaign on March 1^st, St. David’s Day when candidates and members will start canvassing and leafleting the town. Plaid Cymru’s Rhuthun branch has selected three local members to stand as a team targeting all three Rhuthun seats in May’s County Council elections.

Shane Brennan, Hywel Richards and Peter Ryder have very varied backgrounds which reflect Plaid’s Rhuthun branch membership. Shane Brennan, a young history graduate is originally from Ireland and works on Wrexham Industrial estate, he is a Welsh learner. Hywel Richards, a school governor of Ysgol Penbarras, has lived in and around Rhuthun all his life and is self employed. Peter Ryder, originally from Yorkshire has lived in Rhuthun for over 20 years, learnt Welsh and is head of English in a local school.

At present Plaid Cymru is represented on Denbighshire County Council by Morfudd Jones who is retiring. She said “The more Plaid councillors Rhuthun elects the stronger their voice on the council. They will present a united front with other Plaid Denbighshire councillors standing firm against hospital closures or any deterioration in local health services.”

The three candidates will launch a Rhuthun manifesto later in the month. Central to the manifesto will be a vision of Rhuthun as a special and unique Welsh market town that needs new strategies to draw in more visitors. Studies have shown that its historic and architectural heritage and its Welsh culture are important attractions to visitors but the town is still struggling to maintain a wide variety of local shops. The candidates seek to promote policies which will capitalize on the Craft Centre as a focus for small craft based shops. The also have a vision of Rhuthun and the surrounding countryside as a walking and cycling centre with a network of way marked paths and lanes.